‘Poatan’ At Heavyweight?! ‘I Think He Can Go To 246’

Alex Pereira has been making history since his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) arrival in November 2021.

Brazil’s “Poatan” captured UFC Middleweight gold in record time when he defeated Israel Adesanya by round five technical knockout (watch highlights) one year after making his promotional debut. Unfortunately for Pereira, he lost the immediate rematch with his rival by second round knockout (watch highlights) in April 2023.

Since his defeat, Pereira has relocated to the Light Heavyweight division where he’s already claimed the division’s title with a win over Jiri Prochazka via second round technical knockout (watch highlights) at UFC 295 last month (Nov. 11, 2023). Year after year, Pereira has added a new divisional strap to his collection, and his mentor and former Light Heavyweight champion, Glover Teixeira, wouldn’t see a Heavyweight title out of the realm of possibility.

“If he were to move up, he would change his diet and training routine outside the camp to gain mass,” Teixeira told MMA Fighting. “‘Poatan’ walks around 233 pounds and I think he can go to 246, but not [over that], you know? I think 242 would be good.”

Pereira has proven to be one of the largest and most lethal strikers in all of mixed martial arts (MMA) since he put his kickboxing career on the back burner in 2020. Teixeira has been helping him throughout the whole journey and Middleweight had always been a consistent chore despite Pereira not closing the door on a return at some point.

“It’s all a process,” Teixeira said. “‘Poatan’ is a disciplined professional, and that’s why he managed to make 185 in the first place. It’s not easy for anyone to do what he did. Few people can manage that.

“I’m not saying few people can fight in the UFC, much less win the belt, but to do what he did, losing that much weight, not many can do,” he continued. “In the UFC, I’d say only 10 percent of the fighters can do that weight cut the way he did. It was very brutal, but ‘Poatan’ has the discipline for it.”